Why Bajans don't do Halloween

Since last weekend, our neighbours in the North have been partying it up at Halloween festivities, and October 31 is the day on which Halloween is officially celebrated.

Although a few promoters here are cashing in on the party crowd and holding Halloween-themed fetes, the holiday has (thankfully) not caught on with mainstream Barbados, and here are perhaps a few reasons why:

1. Pumpkins are way too expensive to go carving up for any Jack-o-lanterns. My granny would have a fit if I took up her good pumpkin that could be used in soup to decorate the house.


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2. Trick or treating is a big part of Halloween, but most Bajans would never be caught dead going door-to-door "begging" for candy. Not to mention Bajan mothers ain't letting their children eat no strangers' candy. And we ain't giving way our good candy either....


3. We Bajans are a pretty traditional bunch, and most of us probably associate the emphasis on all things evil and ghoulish with devil worship. I wouldn't want to meet one of these guys in a dark alley, would you? We'll stick to Christmas, thank you very much.


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4. Wearing disguises and costumes is another aspect of Halloween, and I shudder to think what "creations" people would come up with if we celebrated Halloween here. A walk through Bridgetown on a Saturday is enough reason to ban it before it ever starts here. Trust me, we already have a holiday where people have free rein to wear whatever they like, and it's name is Kadooment Day.


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5. And finally, Bajans ain't looking for another reason to expense themselves. The cost of living is pretty high and we already have Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day to shop for. And you know that every year the kids are gonna want a new costume. I don't think so.

ADDED:
You can check out how some Jamaicans celebrated Halloween over at Fashion Over Style. Wuhloss.